


All just a facade

by myheroEz



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Hinata Shouyou is Sunshine, Hospitals, Injured Hinata Shouyou, Kuroo Says Stupid Things When He Is Shocked, Oikawa Tooru is a Good Friend, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, knee injury, ooc kuroo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:20:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 19,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25450774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myheroEz/pseuds/myheroEz
Summary: When the doctor told him of his condition, Shoyo had no idea how to feel. Sad? Yes. Regret? Yeah. But weak? Hopeless? No. He couldn’t feel weak or hopeless right now- that would make him seem as though he was giving up on his dreams to become the next tiny giant. Shoyo was going to play volleyball. Volleyball at his future high school, Karasuno. Even if he had to hide the pain he felt whenever he would jump.He could do this.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou & Karasuno Volleyball Club, Hinata Shouyou & Kozume Kenma, Hinata Shouyou & Oikawa Tooru, Hinata Shouyou & Ushijima Wakatoshi, Hinata Shouyou/Everyone
Comments: 64
Kudos: 517
Collections: Basically Kagehina, Haikyuu Stories





	1. The beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first time writing any fan fiction so I hope you enjoy this piece of work. Right now I don’t have a decided schedule but it most likely be every few days. I hope you understand this and not rush me in posting but I promise I won’t give up this story out of nowhere. Anyway, enjoy this story and make suggestions for the future chapters xox -Ez

Shoyo was cycling with his two closest friends- Izumi and Koji. A crowd was formed in front of the local television store watching what looked to be a volleyball match. Shoyo pulled on his brakes in the middle of the road and twisted his head to see the game. On the screen was a team who looked to be winning the set so far. The no-faced setter tossed the ball at the perfect height for the short player wearing the number 10 jersey. As if he was a bird taking flight, number 10 soared up and up towards the ball ready to slam the ball on the opposite side of the net.   
  


Shoyo couldn’t believe what he was seeing right now. A fellow shorty like him was leaping into the air- reaching for the sky and flying above the 180 something cm blockers. With the strength of a cannon, he spiked the ball in the perfect position just out of the way of the opposing teams Libero who couldn’t reach the ball in time. Shoyo had never felt like this. The pull on his chest, the feeling of determination and power to do just as well as the boy on television.   
  


“And the ace of Karasuno slams the ball on the court with no mercy to his opponents. Truly Japans Tiny Giant!” Screeched the commutator in Tokyo’s gymnasium. The roar of the crowds flooded the speakers and the crowd stood in front of Shoyo also cheered and applauded the game.

Shoyo loved the sound of everyone supporting the Tiny Giant, he wanted that as well. Shoyo decided then and there he would join Karasuno’s volleyball team in the future.   
  
To caught up in his own excitement, Shoyo failed to hear the panicked voices of his friends and onlookers warning him about a speeding car hurtling it’s way right at him.

“NO SHOYO!”

Blinding headlights and deafening honking overwhelmed his senses and, before he could so much as raise a pinkie, he was met with the full force of the metal box crashing right into his left side.   
  


Shoyo was just cycling with his two closest friends when his life changed forever...


	2. Diagnosis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Hi! Thank you guys for reading the first chapter and leaving kudos. I have decided on the story plot for the next few chapters so I can hopefully upload those sooner than expected. This chapter and maybe the next will be before or just when Shoyo joins Karasuno. Keep leaving suggestions and your thoughts! xox- Ez

*beep* *beep* *beep*

Shoyo slowly pulled open his eyes only to close them immediately from the glaring lights above. A pained and tired groan escaped past his lips which alerted both his panicked mother and sleepy younger sister. 

“Mom? Where am I?”

“Oh Shoyo, I’m glad your awake. How do you feel sweetie? Do you need anything? Food? Water? Pain medication? Natsu go get th-“

Rushed out Shoyo’s mother in one breath of air making Shoyo himself grab ahold of her shaking hand- halting her in her non-stop ramble.

“Don’t worry so much mum. I feel perfectly fine, I think. Where am I and how did I get here?” Inquired Shoyo once he had the chance to speak. The oldest Hinata closed her eyes and took a deep breath which put Hinata slightly on edge as to what happened.

“Honey, what was the last thing you remember happening?” She asked with a slightly sad look in her eyes. Of course, Shoyo didn’t know why she looked sad. Had one of her friends been hurt? Is she hurt? But she looks perfect physically, so what could be the problem?

“I remember hanging out with Kōji and Izumi, we were riding our bikes downtown and I remember watching this one short guy playing volleyball on tv. He was amazing mum! He just continued to climb higher and higher when jumping to spike the ball! I want to go to Karasuno to play as well mum and-“

Shoyo paused as he glanced at his mum out of the corner of his wide, hazel eyes to see her crying silently. Confused, Shoyo looked to Natsu to see her barely containing the tears clouding her matching eyes. Now Shoyo was scared, `had he said something wrong?’ Before he could dwell on it too much, Hinata interrupted her sons thoughts and told him where he was.

“Sho, we’re at the hospital right now because, when you were distracted, a van rounded the corner and drove full force into your left side. It’s bad Shoyo. I-I got a call s-saying y-y-you were here a-and needed surgery i-immediately. Shōyō I-I-“

Before Shoyo’s mother could continue with her explanation, she broke down and started sobbing uncontrollably with her body shaking so bad she couldn’t get the words out. Natsu had gone to sit on her lap to try and comfort her distressed mother and Shoyo finally looked down to see an oddly shaped blanket covering his lower half. With hesitation, Shoyo peeled the thick, itchy cover off to see something which confused him. 

After getting over his confusion, Shoyo felt shock, scared and most of all- sadness. Sadness because this meant he couldn’t walk properly. Sadness because he couldn’t run properly. Sadness because he couldn’t jump properly. And, without jumping, how could he play volleyball? How could he become the next Tiny Giant? How could he prove to everyone height doesn’t matter? 

At the same time, a doctor walked in to check up on the patient and to fully tell them the extent of his injuries. 

Shoyo couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t believe how cruel faith could be. He heard nothing and saw only his legs and the missing of his left foot. He felt numb all over. He distantly heard murmurs bear him but couldn’t decipher the words being exchanged, only the occasional word like “permanent” “therapist” “replace” “knee”. 

On the other hand, the oldest Hinata heard everything. Not out of choice, no. She could hear the doctor telling her the damage to her sunshine child.

“He has damage to his ribs, mostly bruising so no damage to his organs which is fortunate. His right leg and foot are completely fine save for a few scratches from falling down. However, as you can see, his left foot was to badly damaged to be repaired in any way apart from amputation which means he will need a permanent replacement which will require some physio therapy. We can offer a therapist free of charge however you will need to buy a prosthetic foot to give him a chance to walk again. The rest of the leg has a few cuts which will leave scaring once we take out the stitches but nothing major. Finally, his left knee took damage from both falling and the actual collision from the vehicle. We replaced the knee cap with a metal joint and cap so he will be perfectly fine,although prone to some pain and stiffness. There was no damage to his head, he was just unconscious with no concussion which is good news. The therapy for his prosthetic will take around a year if he is fast at recovering and will take place in the physio ward just a few blocks away. If you have any questions or you need anything just ring this bell here.”

“Thank you doctor, when can he start physio?”

Asked Shoyo’s mother before he could leave. The doctor glanced up and told her it would be as soon as she can can purchase the prosthetic.

She turned to her son noticing he was oddly quiet throughout the diagnosis. She looked down to see Natsu on her lap with a sorrowful expression. It was slowly getting dark outside so he thought it be best for Natsu’s child sitter to bring her back home so Hinata could stay by Shoyo.

The next morning, Shoyo felt a bit better now that he understood what this meant for him and that he could still play volleyball if he did well in physio. He could definitely do this as long as he didn’t give up. 

“Mum, can you buy the prosthetic soon so I can get started on Physio?” He asked his mother who was still sat in the same place as she was yesterday.

“Of course Shoyo, I’m glad you aren’t giving up hope. I will head downstairs to go get it now and hopefully you can start today. Would that be alright?”

“Thank you mum, that would be great.” He said with slight excitement in his voice, it wasn’t back to his normal amount but it was a good sign.

Shoyo opened his eyes to see how his life had changed and had felt a spark of hope fill him despite how grave the damage was. Shoyo Hinata was not a quitter and would still go ahead with playing volleyball at Karasuno in two years fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be about his physio therapy and Shoyo starting to walk again! A surprise character will make his way into the story early than in the actual Haikyuu!! Leave comments to who you think it might be! Hope you enjoyed this chapter as well. I will be adding tags along the way as to keep most of it a surprise for you guys. Thanks for reading. xox- Ez


	3. A new friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello guys! I don’t have much to say but from now on, there will be a few time slips to get into the meaty part of the story (including Shoyo’s first game!). I hope you guys like that I put this new character in the story now rather than later. Hope you enjoy! xox- Ez

Physio therapy was  _hard_ . Shoyo has never put in _so much_ effort into walking before (granted he had never lost a foot before and made to wear a prosthetic just to continue life as normal). His therapist is really nice and encouraging towards him and gives out really good tips on how to get a better handle on using the foot replacement. 

After his mother was able to purchase the prosthetic a few weeks ago, he had been so grateful and had told her he was not going to give up due to this minor -not really- setback in starting volleyball. Of course, this lead to a few tears from all members of the Hinata family. 

And so here he was approximately 4 weeks later holding on to the wooden beams either side of his hips, trying to complete today’s session. In all honesty, he felt tremendous amounts of pain from both his knee, where the kneecap prosthetic kept rubbing underneath the scarred skin, and the sock chafing at the bottom of his calf which kept the substitute foot in place. However, he absolutely couldn’t give up now- he was getting closer to being able to move with his injuries. 

“Hinata, someone else will be joining later on in today’s session. He also has a knee injury and has struggled with walking regularly these past few days. I hope you don’t mind someone else with you.” States the kind lady who has been the one in charge of nursing him back to full strength as of late.

“Of course Obasan, the more the merrier is what they say after all! How old is he? Do you think he likes volleyball? Does he play? Does he like the Tiny Giant?!?” Rambles Shoyo all in one breath. 

The nurse laughs at his excitement and answers his questions. “I believe he is two years older than you and he does indeed play volleyball, in fact that, that is how he got injured. Although, I don’t think many people are inspired by the Tiny Giant as much as you are, Hinata.” Replies the lady. Shoyo acknowledges her answers with a hum and his eyes sparkle. 

He returns back to trying to get to the over end with even more determination than before at the idea of another volleyball player who he can admire in the future. 

Around 3 and a half hours later, in comes a bored looking doctor with a clipboard held in front of his torso. He isn’t exactly tall so Shoyo can make out a head of luscious brown curls bouncing slightly as the owner walks in. As the doctor goes towards his nurse, the older boy slowly makes his way towards Shoyo with a slight limp to his walk. A full-bloom smile settles on Shoyo’s face as he raises his right arm to wave at this fairly handsome senior.

“Hello there, nice to meet you! My name is Hinata Shoyo but you can just call me Sho if you want! What’s your name, senpai?” Greets Shoyo in a way which could only be described as adorable. The handsome boy blinks his eyes slowly at Shoyo and then puts on a big smile with his tongue peeking out, his hand near his left eye holding a peace sign pose.

“Hi Hi Sho-chan, my name is Oikawa Tooru but you can call me Tooru-Senpai if you’d like!” Replies this `Tooru-Senpai’ guy. 

Shoyo looks down quickly to see a black sleeve covering his right knee. He rises his head to say “Okay Tooru-Senpai” in a chipper voice. Shoyo then starts to bombard his senpai with a flurry of questions with the same amount of energy and excitement as a newborn puppy.

“I heard you like and play volleyball! What position do you play? What team do you play for? Do you know the Tiny Giant? I  love  the Tiny Giant! I’m going to be just like him when spiking the ball all like  wham!  and  boom! and smash! and and-“

He gets cut off from his gibberish talk by Oikawa giving a little chuckle full of fondness. “You are so cute Chibi-Chan, my heart can’t take it! To answer your questions, I play setter at Aobajohsai High school here in Miyagi. I don’t know if this `Tiny Giant’ but he sounds pretty cool! How about you Sho-Chan, what position do you play?” Says Oikawa, all the while Shoyo has sparkles in his eyes. 

“I don’t actually play volleyball but I hope to start after all my physio! I want to be the ace of Karasuno High when I’m old enough in two years time!” Shoyo backs this up with rapid arm motions as if he is about to spike the imaginary ball in front of him.

At first, Tooru was hesitant about doing physio in front of some kid who was in middle school. He just didn’t like the idea of appearing weak in front of someone who wasn’t his doctor of therapist (even if he didn’t know the boy) and was slightly angry that he would have to share and take turns of using the equipment to help him walk once again. But after meeting this excitable boy, all anger withered away in an instant. Oikawa had never seen such an honest boy in his life- yeah, a lot of people were nice to him but no one was outright honest to a fault. He also felt slightly bad for the kid when his eyes dimmed about not having played volleyball before even though he seemed to really like the sport and this `Tiny Giant’.

“Well Chibi-Chan, you’re a bit small to be Spiker, don’t you think?” Apparently that was the wrong thing to say to the ginger as his eyes immediately hardened and tilted his head to the side ever so slightly, giving off the vibe of `I dare you to repeat that’. Taken aback, Tooru widened his eyes and leaned backwards, as if evading a knife thrown at him. 

“Height doesn’t matter, I’m going to be the best and will jump high above the walls in front of me.” Shoyo said with no emotion present other than seriousness. Almost instantaneously, Shoyo snapped out of whatever he was doing and smiled sunnily at the setter who had also returned back to his calm state. Tooru then lead Shoyo to sit down in the far corner of the room so they could sit and get to know each other seeing as they both liked volleyball.

“So, Chibi-Chan, how long have you been doing physio?” Inquired Oikawa in a friendly manner. Shōyō had to think for a while seeing as all he could remember for the last month was pain. “Well it was around a month ago I was sent to the hospital as I started a few days later doing physio. It seems like forever though as they drag on and on.” Assumes Shoyo with a groan at the end. Tooru sent a sympathetic look to Shoyo who just smiled.

“I only just got here three days ago so it’s been okay so far although it has been rather slow. I got my injury from overdoing practice and it just gave out. Apparently it could be worse but I still need to do light physio for the next year and make sure to stretch my knee out a lot more then I normally do.” Oikawa ended with a mock sigh. Shoyo felt a bit jealous that Tooru-Senpai didn’t have to do anything to straining but immediately shoved that feeling away to replace it with determination. Determination to speed up his recovery so he could get away with light physio earlier than later. Shoyo felt Oikawa giving him a curious look as if he were going to ask something but thought better of it.

“What did you want to know, Tooru-Senpai?” Said Shoyo not unkindly. Oikawa blushed slightly at being caught staring at him so he cleared his throat and asked away. “How did you injure yourself?” He said, mildly hesitant. Shoyo just sighed as if he somehow knew that was what he was going to ask.

“Ah well, I -ur was cycling with friends and got distracted. Next thing I know, the bright headlights of a van came crashing into my left side.” Shoyo mumbled, scratching his neck out of- embarrassment? Yeah embarrassment. 

“How come you seem sheepish when saying that?” Oikawa asks with genuine confusion. “Well it is slightly embarrassing to get distracted easily when I’m in the middle of the road. I was being stupid in not pulling over. I could of ended up dead or my friends could of been hurt as well.” Muttered the ginger shorty. Tooru just replied with a short “ah” and looked down at Shoyo’s prosthetic and scared knee. 

Deciding to change the topic, Oikawa asked, “do you want me to teach you how to play volleyball?” Immediately, Shoyo’s eyes lit up in glee and he no longer wore a frown but a never ending smile. “ _You will_!?” Exclaimed Shoyo with a squeaky voice.

“Haha, of course Chibi-Chan!” Chortled Tooru loudly. Shoyo leapt up to quickly and had to hold on to the wall to stop himself from falling over, which would be  _super_ embarrassing. 

Both boys made their way to the clear area of the room. Oikawa asked the nurse to pass him his turquoise duffel bag and reached out the volleyball inside. Shoyo let out a squeal of delight and started bouncing in place out of eagerness. 

“You’re the coolest, Tooru-Senpai!!” 

“Aww, you treat me to well, Sho-Chan.” 

Physio therapy was  _hard_ . But Shoyo will always aim to conquer the tall, tall wall blocking his way to becoming a volleyball player he can be proud of. And, with making friends with Tooru-Senpai, he knew he could learn to play volleyball just like everyone else and maybe even better then them.


	4. Karasuno arrives!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Hey Hey everyone! Sorry I didn’t update early, I had to go on a 4 hour drive to Manchester and back!! I know I said there would be more OiHina shenanigans but that didn’t happen so sorry in advance (although I can’t wait for the Karasuno vs Aobajohsai practice game!!) I hope you enjoy this chapter and keep writing how you feel about this story! Thanks for reading. xox- Ez

All that hard work had _finally_ paid off. Shoyo was in his final year of Middle School and had essentially started the boys volleyball club (due to it only being a fan club) here at Yukigaoka. 

About 3 months ago, Shoyo was discharged from the therapy sessions and was cleared to go to school. However, the doctors were still hesitant on letting the teenage Hinata play volleyball. But, after a _lot_ of convincing, he was also cleared to do that.

Tooru-Senpai was able to leave a few weeks before Shoyo but they still kept in contact with each other and updated on how they were doing. Before Tooru had left, he had taught Shoyo all about volleyball and had set for him a few times, albeit with difficulty seeing as both of them were still slow at walking and doing physical exercise. He managed to get the basics down like: serving (which was 50/50 really), diving with some difficulty due to his knee, read blocking and receives which were deemed `acceptable’ by Tooru-Senpai. At the time, Shoyo was average when it came to spiking but he worked hard on jumping after Oikawa had been dismissed.

Now that he was back in school and begging almost everyone he could to set to him (which wasn’t that hard seeing as they all pitied him for his loss of foot and knee injury), Shoyo was now going to play in his first _ever_ Volleyball Tournament! He was so excited but he had heard their first match would be against the likely champions of the tournament which did lead to him being _super_ nervous. Not only that, but he was worried about how his knee and foot would hold out for at least two sets. But it was going to be okay. He could do this. 

“Omg, I can’t do this.” Murmured Shoyo after seeing just how tall those guys were. Were they in high school already?! That’s so not fair to be that tall! Judging by the look on all of his teammates faces, that was what they were all thinking as well.

  
There were whispers surrounding the team about this “king of the court” which only expanded this fear because, if one of their players is so good they have a nickname, this would be a hard fist game for them. The boys team in green walked into a far away corner to put their bags down and change shoes, however, Shoyo’s knee was starting to ache again with being stuck in the bus for so long.

“I’m about to head to the toilet to help stretch out my knee if that’s alright with you guys.” Announced Shoyo to his team. All of them nodded with Izumi offering to help him though Shoyo dismissed him with a friendly wave.

Walking down the hall, he saw three boys wearing the uniform of the team they were going to be playing against- Kitagawa Daiichi. All of them were oblivious to the fact Shoyo stood behind them, listening in on them berating his team.

“Did you see the size of our opponents? They looked like elementary kids!” Laughed out the tallest one.

“I know. There is now way we are going to lose to them, especially when we have the King on our side. It’s like, not even a real challenge.” Before they could reply, Shoyo stepped into their view and announced “Hey!” All three jumped after hearing him, but after blinking once or twice, they all burst into small fits of snickers.

“Hahaha oh god look, it’s their captain! He’s not even dressed right! Look at those football socks, did you guys get lost or something on the way?” Replied the tallest boy. Shoyo was embarrassed at being called out for wearing his long socks, he couldn’t exactly show he had a metal foot otherwise he might be kicked out.

“Tha-“ “Oi, second years!” Came out a gruff voice from down the left hallway. All signs of amusement wiped off the second years’ faces and were replaced with worry and fear.

“A-ah, Kageyama, w-what did you need?” Spat out the shortest player in a high-pitched squeal.

“You guys aren’t even on the starting rooster so don’t go hitching a ride on the tails of our schools reputation when you don’t have skill.” Grimly said Kageyama.

“I-of course Kageyama. We’ll just be on our way.” All three boys quickly ran away towards the court.

“Ah thanks for that, I was just about to tell those guys off but you beat me too it-“

“A guy who isn’t prepared for the game shouldn’t be so cocky around skilled players. Just make sure your team actually puts effort into our game.” Sneered Kageyama. Without a second look, he walked off in the opposite direction. Shoyo just stood their with a clenched fists and more determination to win then anyone else.

Making his way back, Shoyo prepared to push his limits today. The game started and Kitagawa were winning the first set by a fifteen point difference, 8-23. Shoyo’s foot was starting to ache but what really hurt was his knee. He could feel it going stiff again and pulling heaving on the metal joint inside. He kept going and managed to score two more points before their opponents took the set.

“Come on guys, we can do this. It’s not over yet!”

“Okay captain!” Replied most of the team. Kōji sent a worried glance to Hinata but didn’t say anything. It was the last set and they were losing once again 12-23. With a block, Kitagawa scored one more point, making it match point to them.

This was it, their last point. Shoyo had to be careful. Calling for the ball, Izumi went to set it to the ginger. However, as luck would have it, it went backwards in the opposite direction. Without thinking of the consequences, Shoyo ran at full speed and jumped his highest. The blockers were too slow and Shoyo managed to spike the ball super fast onto the court. Unfortunately, his wonky jump lead him to hit the floor with a audible thud and roll into the border surrounding the court. 

Quickly, Shoyo looked up to see whether he had landed the point. He hadn’t. He had lost the game. Lowering his head, Shoyo went to stand by the net and head to his teammates. Kageyama, one of the blockers who tried to block the ball, grabbed ahold of the netting with a tight grip and yelled at Hinata.

“What have you been wasting these last three years on?!” He screamed loudly at him in anger. Shoyo felt his teammates glare at Kagayama and started protesting for Shoyo saying “you have no idea what he’s been doing!” “How dare you say that!” “Sho has been through so much”.

Shoyo thought he saw red and turned to Kageyama with and angry expression and yelling back “I’ve not wasted these three years, I’ve been learning all over again.” Of course, Kageyama was confused about what he was relearning and just scoffed and walked to his team. Everyone surrounded Shoyo and brought him back to the line to say “thank you for the game”.

After leaving the arena, promising the king he would beat him next time, massaging his knee and prosthetic and heading home, Shoyo texted Oikawa saying he had lost and was going to go to sleep early. Tooru had a rough idea on how Chibi-Chan was feeling so he left it at that and told him to call him in the morning. If Shoyo cried that night, no one mentioned it the next day.

The day had arrived. Hinata Shoyo would be going to Karasuno High- the same school the Tiny Giant played at! He was so excited he left earlier than usual to bike down the mountain and towards town. It had taken a long time to get his mum to allow him to ride his bike with his prosthetics, especially as it was such a long distance to ride just to get there.

The feeling of the wind blowing threw his hair and past his face was exhilarating and getting his knee use to the bike was easy than he thought it would be. Shoyo could make out the schools gym from the gate and parked his bike in the shelter quickly.

Full on pelting down the pathway, Shoyo leaped into the gym with a blinding smile plastered on his face which only grew when he heard the sound of squeaky trainers on the floor and the ball being slammed down. However, that smile instantly vanished the second he saw the person making the oh-so-familiar noises.

“YOU!” Screeched the ginger to which the raven-haired boy turned his head at the gyms’ doors. Shock was written on his face as he remembered the flying boy from his last tournament of middle school. To say Shoyo was mad was an understanding, he was downright livid. He had promised to win against Kageyama but now he was his teammate?! What the hell? He couldn’t believe this. There was no way he could get along with this jerk after what he had told Shoyo.

The sound of metal doors being pushed open turned both their heads in the direction and saw three people standing outside- a bald, scary looking guy, a kind, silver-haired boy and finally, the tallest, a brown, plain looking guy.

“Ah the first years!”

“What are you looking at, huh!?”

“Ah, welcome to Karasuno High, newbies!”

All that hard work had finally paired off. Shoyo was just joining high school and was going to be playing volleyball where the Tiny Giant played! Yet, why was he here?! Shoyo just wanted to play volleyball and now he was stuck with stupid Bakageyama, what was that all about? Ugh, this is going to be another wall blocking him from being the best. But, Tooru-Senpai said I just have to jump over them all so I will do just that. (Speaking of Tooru, I should meet up with him again soon.) But, at least it can’t get worse than this, right?


	5. News of a game

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello guys! Sorry I didn’t post yesterday :( i was planning on having Sunday be my rest day as I post almost daily. The next couple of days are super busy for me as I’m getting my house revamped so I might not post every day. Sorry about that but I will try my best! Hope you enjoy this chapter! xox- Ez

All that hard work just went down the drain. Shoyo has arrived at his dream school; ran into his greatest rival only to find out he was now his teammate; annoyed the _hell_ out of the vice principal by knocking his toupee off; and now he was kicked out of the gym until his match in two days. _Of course_ he had to go and jinx himself by thinking it couldn’t get any worse. 

“Stupid Bakageyama, this is all your fault.” Grumbled the little ginger outside the volleyball gym. 

“ _My_ fault?! Tell me how this is any of _my_ fault, dumbass!” Said Kagayama incredulously.

“Well you shouldn’t have challenged me!”

“ _You_ were the one who challenged _me_ , stupid!”

“Yeah w-well, whatever!” Humphed Shoyo.

“This is stupid. We should just pretend to get along so I can win this game and play setter position.” Suggested Kageyama, although he didn’t really give Shoyo a chance to not do what he said.

“Fine, but this isn’t just _your_ game you know. I have to prove myself so I can be the next ace of Karasuno.” Replied Hinata. Shoyo could not afford to not play because that is all he has been thinking and practicing for. It would be a waste of Tooru-Senpai’s time if he wasn’t allowed to play as well as his family’s support.

They began practicing in the little clear area beside the gymnasium. Kageyama would spike the ball and Shoyo would try and receive. Key word. Try. Even after Oikawa had taught him the basics, Shoyo got to excited about spiking he didn’t really practice receiving as much as he would of liked. This lead to a few choice words from Kageyama.

“Boke Hinata, Boke!!”

“Dumbass”

Not much though seeing as he has a limited vocabulary.

It was now long gone sunset and they were _still_ practicing. Shoyo’s foot was starting to hurt and his knee was getting stiff from just standing in the same position for hours. Seemingly out of nowhere, a tall, lanky blond and a freckled, average boy came up to them when Hinata had just received the ball. The taller one caught the ball midair and held it out of reach of Shoyo. Turning around to face them, Shoyo looked up and stared in amazement at just how tall the guy was up close.

“Woah, your super tall! Do you play volleyball? You should if you don’t!” Exclaimed Shoyo, unaware of how mean this guy was going to be to him.

“What’s a middle school kid doing here?” Teased the blond in a non-friendly way.

“Hey! I’m a first year!”

“Oh yeah? Sorry I couldn’t tell with you being only up to here on me.” He said putting a hand against his abdomen. 

Now ignoring the ginger, he faced Kageyama who wore a scowl at being interrupted in practice.

“Well, if it isn’t the _king_. I didn’t know you were one of the first years to be kicked out.” He said with only a slight bit of surprise in his voice. Mostly condescending though.

Obviously this didn’t make Kageyama very happy seeing as he stayed silent. That in itself doesn’t sound bad, but when paired with someone like Kageyama, it meant he was super annoyed. Shoyo himself wasn’t a fan of the blond (who he now knows as Tsukishima) so he couldn’t blame Kageyama for giving him a stink eye. Although he still didn’t see why being called “king” was such a bad thing- as though it was an insult. 

After leaving for the night, Shoyo laid on his bed, phone in hand, and called Oikawa. A few rings went by until Tooru answered his phone with a “Hi Hi Chibi-Chan!”. After catching up and asking how their respective injuries were, Shoyo went on to explain how he was preparing for a three vs three in two days time.

“So we got kicked out and my teammate made me practice my receives until sundown! Does he not know the meaning of resting?” Shoyo complained over the phone. 

“I’m sure he just wants to do the best he can so he gets to play setter position. I know I would definitely practice as much as possible if I was in his shoes. But he does seem a bit unrealistic in not letting you go earlier. He sort of reminds me of my kohai from junior high.”

“Oh, the one who you don’t like because he is a prodigy?”

“Yeah that one, he just got on my nerves. Though, as much as I _hate_ to admit, he is skilled as well as talented.”

Shoyo chuckled at that and moved the topic on from the previous one. “Ah, Tooru-Senpai, you should get your coach to set up a practice match against Karasuno! It would be so much fun to beat you!” 

“Haah? Beat me? Sho-Chan! How mean! You sound just like Iwa-chan, and that’s not a compliment!” Squealed out Oikawa.

“But it’s the truth, Tooru-Senpai! And being like Hajime-Senpai is a compliment. I want to be as strong as him when being Karasuno’s ace! He goes all like _bham_ and _waboosh_ and _shwazam_ when he’s spiking.” The ginger practically yelled down the phone making Tooru wince at his now ringing eardrums.

“Hmph! I can ask coach but be prepared to be amazed again when we beat you.” Oikawa replied had teasingly.

“Game on Tooru!”

“I can’t wait, Shoyo.”

He was officially apart of the boy’s volleyball team! He had won his match against Tsukishima and Yamaguchi with the help of Tanaka-Senpai and the not-so-bad-because-he-can-set Kageyama. His knee was in a lot of pain but it was definitely worth it although, his foot would definitely be saw for the next few days meaning he couldn’t put his long socks on because they would be too tight. Therefore, Shoyo had to settle with being dropped off to school and wearing long trousers during practice for the remainder of the school week.

You see, Hinata Shoyo is _not_ embarrassed of his scars and prosthetic but is worried he will not be allowed to play volleyball if people found out. Therefore covering it up was his only option. If no one had a problem with it, he would definitely choose to wear shorts and no socks. He will just have to prove how good he is even with how his body is like now. Especially to Kageyama, to make sure he still tosses those perfect sets to him.

“Is everyone still here?” Yelled an unfamiliar voice from the doorway. Standing there -more like hunched over, trying to get back his breath- was a short, middle aged man wearing a green tracksuit jacket. His left arm was outstretched towards the 10 boys standing in the gym. Daichi, the captain, greeted “Takeda-sensei” and read aloud the letter to the curious group.

“We would like to challenge the volleyball team to a practice game here at-“ Daichi’s breath hitched suddenly and his hazel eyes grew impossibly large.

“- _Aobajohsai boys v-volleyball team_!” Finished Sugawara, who had leaned over captain’s shoulder to see what it had to say.

“Aobajohsai? Alright he managed to get his coach to agree!” Exclaimed Shoyo with a small leap in the air- small, so he didn’t do further damage to his injuries.

“What do you mean, _he_?” Asked a confused Suga. Shōyō smiled even wider at the question and immediately gave his answer with a proud look on his face.

“Well, I asked a friend of mine on the volleyball team to convince their coach to send us a practice game request! He was the one to teach me volleyball when I was in the hospital for-“ Shoyo cut himself off as soon as possible so he wouldn’t reveal why he was there.

“Hospital? What happened dude?” Asked a worried looking Tanaka. Everyone turned their attention entirely to Shoyo, all wearing concerned and curious expressions (minus Tsukishima who just looked confused).

“A-Ah well, it’s complicated.” He quickly added “but I’m fine now so don’t worry!” Just to calm them down and steering the conversation in a different direction.

“I still surprised your friend _actually_ convinced a top 4 school volleyball team to play us!” Daichi said with a confused but pretty thankful face.

Hinata just hummed as a reply and went to grab his bag to change shoes. Kageyama noticed this and was quick to ask why he wouldn’t stay for extra practice.

“My mum is picking me up today so we can visit my dad! He works abroad a lot so we don’t get to see him much. But I’ll stay next week! Oh, what day is the game?” Queried Shoyo last minute.

“Ah, it’s in a week tomorrow.” Helpfully replied Takeda-sensei.

“Okay see you guys tomorrow!”  The small player yelled while leaving.

Though that hard work had originally gone down the drain, Hinata Shoyo was able to prove his worth to the team and gained an official spot on it. Not only was he going to play his first practice game but he was going to see Tooru-Senpai and Hajime-Senpai again at their own school! But the best part was spiking a _perfect_ toss for the first time since being released from physio- Izumi didn’t really count. Sure, his foot and knee hurt a lot and he was going to have to wear trousers for a bit, but he had still managed to cling the tall, tall wall which had previously stood in his way. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we finally get news of the practice game! Sorry if anyone was wanting to read about the 3 on 3 but I was feeling lazy as well as not being able to change much from the canon story! Next chapter might have some Hinata family fluff and/or Shoyo meeting Oikawa and Iwaizumi over the weekend before their game! Leave comments and don’t forget to bookmark for future chapters ;) xox- Ez


	6. Enter- Aobajohsai!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry I didn’t upload this earlier, like I said before, my house is a mess right now and I barely have any alone time to write but I still managed for today :) This chapter isnt that good but next chapter is when the fun really starts! I hope you enjoy and remember to bookmark;)) xox- Ez

This week at practice was absolute _hell_. Shoyo had overdone it in that three on three and, as a result, wore trousers the rest of the week to hide the prosthetic without the use of his too-tight socks. Of course, trousers in the middle of spring/early summer is not a good choice of fashion- especially when playing volleyball in the gym for four hours straight. This led to Shoyo’s legs being absolutely _drenched_ in a layer of sweat which isn’t comforting in any shape or form.

He got a few weird looks and questions asking why he was wearing them and why he couldn’t take them off if he is sweating so much, but alas, he was forced to lie saying “I ripped them when I fell off my bike yesterday” and “I don’t have a spare pair anyway”. So therefore, practice this week was not the best. 

But that was all last week. This week however, was going to be amazing seeing as the team would be visiting Aobajohsai for their practice game today. And going to Aobajohsai= seeing Tooru and Hajime Senpai! Everyday since finding out about the letter from Coach Irihata, Oikawa has been texting Hinata and telling him how he looks forward to playing against the short Spiker. Sharing this line of thought, Shoyo never stopped talking about it to his family who had all met Oikawa multiple times when visiting the ginger male of the family. 

Eventually the awaited day finally snuck around and Karasuno’s team were on the bus towards their mighty challengers (or in Shoyo’s case, his friends lovely team). Most of the bus ride was filled with friendly chitchat and nervous energy yet Kageyama seemed strange. He wasn’t wearing his trademark scowl but a pensive frown took place on his face. The middle blocker didn’t really take the young setter as someone to be trapped in his own thoughts so he assumed that it was important. 

“Hey, Kageyama, what are you thinking about? Are you scared?” Asked Hinata seemingly out of nowhere, in a teasing tone. That seemed to wake the raven out of his mind and he turned to glare at the pesky ginger.

“Of course I’m not scared, dumbass!” Snapped the boy. “I’m just thinking about one of the players on their team. He went to junior high with me and was my senpai. He was the best player there and I learnt everything I know about volleyball from him. He didn’t like me and he was always so rude.” 

Shoyo was actually surprised Kageyama seemed annoyed by the fact someone didn’t like him although he isn’t a likeable person still. He was also excited to meet someone who had taught the grumpy setter how to play which obviously meant the guy must be great at playing.

“Woah, if he taught you everything you know now, that makes him the-“ Shoyo pauses to think about what to call him “-the _great_ king!” The look on Kagayama’s face was full of shock, then confusion and then finally, anger.

“Oi! He isn’t the great king! He has a _horrible_ personality and is self absorbed with his good looks.” Kageyama almost yelled at Hinata’s face when telling him how bad a person this upperclassmen of his was. 

A few minutes later and then a- “even _worse_ than Tsukishima’s personality?” questioned by the shortest boy. A reply of “even worse than Tsukishimas.” was all he got. An overdramatic gasp was let loose and the forever-frowning teammate just nodded solemnly with all the seriousness in the world.

Tsukishama just glared.

When everyone had made it off the bus with all their personal belongings, Takeda-Sensei took them inside and towards the gym. The squeaks of volleyball trainers against the ground were easily recognised by all players and it didn’t take long until the murder of crows had made their way inside. Shoyo’s eyes darted to and from but didn’t see Tooru-Senpai anywhere. However, a brown haired player jogged over to the group and gave a little wave to the familiar locks of ginger hair near the front.

Shoyo recognised the boy to be Iwaizumi and waved back with ferocious excitement. The tanned boy came to a halt in front of Hinata and ruffled the fluffy hair at his chests height.

“I haven’t seen you in a few weeks shorty, where’d you go?” Out came the question in a gruff but kind voice.

“Ah Hajime-Senpai, sorry, I got too focused with my practice at the gym at school. Volleyball is just too much fun!” Explained a slightly worried Shoyo. “Where is Tooru-Senpai?” Quickly questioned the former mentioned boy. A loud “tsk” sound came the reply before an actual answer was given.

“Trashykowa pulled his knee again so he’s coming in later. I thought he would of told you.” 

Kageyama’s eyes had blown wide now with disbelief from seeing his fellow first year being friendly with the ace of Aobajohsai; his former senpai, and Oikawa’s closest friend since childhood. Iwaizumi and Oikawa were the mysterious friends of Hinatas? _Are you kidding?_ As much as he wouldn’t admit it, Hinata was a good person and was super nice- unlike his rival setter who was an arrogant person. He couldn’t _believe_ the ginger spoke so highly of _him_! Maybe a different Oika- no. Tobio was just reluctant to admit they were indeed friends and good ones at that, going off of how Hinata referred to him using his first name.

Most of the Karasuno team were in a dazed state and surprised that their little crow knew such a skilled player, never mind the freaking _captain_ of a powerhouse school. Hinata and Iwaizumi continued catching up oblivious to the inner turmoil going through the players behind them. Their Sensei snapped them out of their thinking by telling them to warm up properly before begging the game.

All of them moved towards their area and changed shoes. Shoyo waved goodbye to Iwaizumi before turning around and getting ready as well. He knew that stretching his knee properly was important as well as checking how tight and secure his prosthetic was to the remainder of his leg.

A few lunges later and he was left feeling loose and ready to start hitting some good sets.

Kageyama was still a bit shocked at learning that his former senpais were friends with the sunshine child on his team but carried on as normal so he wouldn’t bring down the team. He glanced around and noticed everyone from the team had almost finished their own warmups and he decided to get a ball so he could allow them some practice spikes beforehand.

Shoyo felt great at spiking the ball, as always, and was definitely looking forward to playing alongside his teammates as well as showing how high he could now jump to both his caring Senpais. They were all in for a good game.

The previous week of practice had been a nightmare but now here Shoyo was, getting ready to play volleyball against strong opponents once again. Today was going to be a fun game and he would blow almost everyone on Aobajohsai away at just how high he could soar up into the air. Both his knee and foot were in perfect condition and had been stretched to a point he could barely feel any discomfort. Today’s game was going to be good and he couldn’t wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just realised I promised a Hinata fluff chapter or Oikawa Iwaizumi And Hinata meeting over the weekend! I’m so sorry I didn’t do that! I just had a mind bleep, you know?! Ahhh I will do one after the game probably because I was planning a mix of the two anyway so I’ll make it longer! So sorry about that xox- Ez


	7. Everyone has their bad days

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonjour my friends! These past few days I haven’t uploaded for a few reasons and I am terribly sorry for that!! Thankfully my room is complete now and I will have more time to write once again so yay! This chapter has heavy angst so be warned :( 
> 
> There are a few mentions of blood but not a lot so hopefully you guys don’t mind but sorry if you do. Also one tiny swear word appears! 
> 
> Hope you like this chapter and keep leaving comments even if it is constructive criticism! xox- Ez

So far the game had been going good. They were two points ahead of the turquoise team and five more to go until the end of the set. Karasuno was in the zone and Shoyo’s knee and prosthetic were only slightly painful but that was to be expected when doing anything remotely sporty.

The volleyball was high in the air and was sailing to the opposing teams’ setter who was already in the correct position. He set the ball towards the left antenna where Iwaizumi was jumping in the air. Both Tsukishima and Hinata were already there and extended their arms high up and jumped to block the ball. Just as he came off the ground, Shoyo felt a tug on the joint in his knee making him wince midair. Luckily, he still jumped high enough to block out the ball with his hands. The _thump_ of the ball landing on the wooden floorboards resounded throughout the gym; letting the scorer add one point toKarasuno’s chart. 

Across the net, Hajime had seen the little ginger wince and knew that he had hurt himself when taking off. He sent a worried look to Shoyo who understood what he was thinking  _“go careful, don’t hurt yourself to badly,Shoyo”_.  Shoyo gave him a subtle smile which he hoped reassured his senpai enough so he didn’t need to worry about going easy on him. Shoyo would _hate_ that. 

The set ended up being won by the crows and they were on a ten minute timeout. Takeda-Sensei was discussing what to do next with Daichi when Shoyo let out a small groan of pain. Almost everyone turned towards him immediately to see what was wrong with their fledgling bird and how they could help.

“Hinata, what’s the matter? Are you in any pain from the previous set?” Asked the mother hen of the group, Sugawarwa, and rushed to his side near the bench. Shoyo was clutching his knee with a scrunched up face- a sign he was not fairing so well.

“ _Hngg_ Suga, my knee j-just hurts a bit from jumping, but i-it will be fine after awhile.” Shoyo managed to grunt out while trying to stay as calm as possible. He knew that it was bad. He felt the metal inside buckle when he squatted to pick up his water bottle from the floor after leaving the court. But he couldn’t tell anyone. If he explained what happened, they would question his injury more and would probably kick him off for the rest of the game! He _definitely_ couldn’t tell them.

Hajime wasn’t convinced little Shoyo was okay. He knew from Oikawa how badly a knee injury could feel and how it could become even worse if not treated right away in some cases. But he couldn’t say anything. If he did, the ginger would hate him for getting him sent off the court, even for a practice game like this. But he also felt he needed to. He was so conflicted and inside his head that he hadn’t realised that it was the end of the first set and there was a break for them to rest and talk strategy.

What woke him out of his trance was a pained noise coming from Karasuno’s bench. He looked up to see Hinata on the floor with his left knee in a vice-like grip by his hands. Hajime swiftly grabbed his phone from the bench and texted Tooru.

**I: Hurry up. I think Shoyo is in a lot of pain right now from his knee but he won’t want to be subbed off.(15:02)**

**I: If you don’t get here soon you might not be able to play if his coach does take him out. (15:04)**

**O: what happened?! has he taken off his socks, because those will only make the pain worse with how tight they are. (15:07)**

**O: i’ll be there in 5 (15:08)**

Shoyo saw Tanaka near his bag and asked him to pass it to him. He immediately grabbed it and placed it by the injured teen and opened it for him as well. Shoyo rummaged through the bag and found his cream which will help numb the pain but not restrict his movement with the knee. He quickly rolled down his sock- not really thinking about his team seeing the scars on his knee and leg. Once removed, he placed a small amount of ointment and began to rub it in thoroughly but gently. After the effects started to take place, Shoyo let out a deep sigh and rolled his sock up but not over his knee like he would normally. 

He looked up to find everyone on the team wide eyed and mouths agape. All of them were staring at his four inch long scar running down his knee. “Oh m-my god, are you o-okay, Hinata?” Suga was the first person to speak up, leading to his entire team asking questions, showing their concern.

Daichi finally got the team to be quiet enough so Shoyo could explain the obvious injury he had on his knee. Everyone looked at him expectantly. The ginger was about to explain when a high pitched voice spoke up from the gyms’ door.

“Sho-Chan! _Are you alright?!_ Iwa-Chan told me you were in pain. Is it just your knee or your foot as well??” Oikawa was out of breath (from what Shoyo assumed was from) running here. He had his knee brace on and was carrying his Seijoh club jacket in his right hand. All heads swivelled towards him and then back to Shoyo with even more shock places on their faces. Hinata couldn’t really blame them as they had all just seen his injured knee as well as heard, quite clearly, Oikawa Tooru- captain of their opponents team- call Shoyo, _“Sho-Chan”_. The second set was about to begin so he promised to explain after the game had finished later on. Everyone agreed but were clearly a bit curious and impatient for the explanation- mostly Kageyama as he was appalled by his spiker knowing Oikawa. Hopefully after Shoyo explained everything, they would all calm down.

Due to all the drama going on in Karasuno’s team, Aobajohsai easily took the second set at 17-25. It was the third and final set and Tooru-Senpai still had yet to join the game. Shoyo guessed that by running here his coach might be worried about overworking his knee so he remained on the bench until Karasuno was at 23 with Seijoh at 20. That’s when Oikawa replaced their temporary setter so their team could catch up before Karasuno got match point. It was the first serve from Oikawa which was well aimed at Tsukkishima and so fast he couldn’t receive it well. This happened two more time’s tying them at 23-23. On the fourth one however, Daichi managed to get it up towards Kageyama who was getting ready to set. Shoyo went to run but he set it to Tanaka on the left side of the court. Luckily, the blockers were marking the ginger crow and therefore Tanaka got a clean shot getting Karasuno match point. 

Shoyo heard the Libero of Seijoh mutter about Kageyama’s serves being hard to receive. Kageyama did in fact back this up by serving to the Libero who barely got it up in time. However, it was off so it sailed over the net for a chance ball. Daichi cleanly got it up once again towards their setter. Shoyo could see Kageyama simmering with want and hoped he would set for Shoyo this time. He ran towards the net ready to jump but the blockers had guessed that he would go for the spike as well so they were already there. With quick thinking and reflexes, Shoyo pivoted and ran fast to the opposite side of the court ready for a broad jump. Kageyama saw this and set to him mid leap. With Hinata having jumped his highest all day and out of the way of blockers, Shoyo felt confident about this spike. The ball was in perfect position as well so he spiked it with the most powerful hit he had done so far. The ball sailed towards Oikawa with deadly accuracy and landed on the ground with a deafening _crack_. 

Tooru had never seen Shoyo jump so _high_ and spike a ball that dangerously hard. He was in so much (joy? amazement?) shock he didn’t move to receive the ball at all. In the corner of his eye, Iwaizumi was also has surprised by how much Chibi-Chan had improved his jumping height despite his foot. The whistle from the umpire reffing the match cut off Tooru’s shock and he grinned up at Shoyo. The ginger in question was elated and had such a bright smile on his face that the sun would be jealous. However it soon changed into a grimace and the end-scorer began falling down to the ground in pain. 

Shoyo was feeling great; _astonished_ even! He had ended the game with a fast broad jump and spiked the ball down with intense power that no one could even move in time to dig it up. He saw the shocked and proud looks from both teams as he he cane down from his adrenaline rush. However, coming down from his adrenaline meant he was fully aware of how much pain his body was going through. _So much pain. Pain. Somebody._

As if in slow motion, Shoyo collapsed to the sweat-covered ground with a _scream_. Everyone was frozen and had no idea what was wrong. When he went down, a noise was made from the ground hitting something metal, like a _clank_. From the other side of the net, Oikawa came running and ducked beneath the net separating their sides of the court and kneeled down by Hinata. 

The short player was whimpering and screamed whenever he tried to move his left leg. Seijoh’s ace ran towards Hinata’s bag and swept it up quickly from the ground before running back to the injured played. Everyone began rushing over to the three friends with one of the coaches calling for an ambulance. Oikawa was trying to get the redhead to calm down and explain what was hurting the most.

Shoyo was whispering nothing and everything at the same time. He vaguely heard Tooru-Senpai asking him what hurt and all he could reply back to him was groans and silent screams. Hajime-Senpai was looting through his bag, probably tying to find some pain killers and the cream he used to numb pain. Shoyo knee the cream wouldn’t help much but he was desperate and tried telling him to hurry up. 

_“P-please m-m-mak-ke it stoppp”_ whined out the baby crow. The entire team of Karasuno were in a frenzy and couldn’t do anything but feel useless at their in-pain player. Kageyama was shocked and confused as well as amazed that both his previous senpais new what they were doing and knew what was wrong, seemingly.

Takeda-sensei sounded like he was on the phone to Hinata’s family and telling them that he would probably be going to the hospital. He was also distressed but seemed to know how to calm down enough that he could talk to the panicked mother over the phone.

Tooru knew that Shoyo was hiding his prosthetic foot from his team and, while he understood _why_ , he was about to show them all even if his kohai didn’t want them to see. So, as painlessly as possible, the setter removed the volleyball shoe and completely removed the slightly bloodied sock. Gasps could be heard from the reveal of his prosthetic and the blood coming from just above but Oikawa didn’t let that distract him. He thought he heard his coach telling him the ambulance would be ten minutes from arriving but Tooru knew he had to do this quickly. With great care, he grabbed a hold of the metal foot and twisted to unlock it and removed it completely. 

Iwaizumi grabbed ahold the gingers hand when he saw his captain about to remove the prosthetic. He knew how painful this would be so he tried to distract Shoyo from the increased pain which would take place. However, it didn’t work as much as he hoped and Hinata let out a deafening scream which came out like a siren call. He heard both teams wince and whimper out of sympathy and shared phantom pain. Just as Oikawa had done his part, Hajime swiftly grabbed the numbing cream by his side and tried rubbing some in at the end of Shoyo’s leg and on his knee. It quieted the boy slightly but not by much as he continued to whimper and groan. Tears had long gone past the brim of his eyes and started cascading down his red covered cheeks. 

Within three minutes, the paramedics wrenched open the door whilst carrying their medical equipment. They surrounded the crying boy and quickly wrapped up the bleeding with a few bandages. They carefully but still swiftly carried the said injured boy on a stretcher and towards the exit where they assumed the ambulance would be. Guessing correctly, the ambulance was parked right by the backdoor exit and was open so they could load it up with Shoyo. Everyone hesitantly followed their respective captains, who had run ahead, to see the medics signalling that two people could get in quickly. Without much thinking, Oikawa jumped in as well as Takeda-sensei so he could talk to his family in more detail at the hospital. After closing the doors, the ambulance drove off in the direction of the nearest hospital.

It was silent inside the Aobajousai gym and no one wanted to interrupt it. However, Kageyama was quick to voice everyone’s thoughts with a small whisper. 

_“What the fuck?”_

The practice game had been going good and had ended with the once-flightless crows winning the third set but Hinata Shoyo getting sent to the hospital was most definitely _not_ worth it. The ginger crow was friends with almost everyone and they all fell into a somber mood with no one breaking that. No words could be said without leaving more questions in the oppressive air. 

Hinata Shoyo was fine one second but God decided that today it would not be a sunny day for the sunshine boy himself. _No_. This was a _thunderstorm_ no one could have predicted to hail down on everyone who witnessed the game that torturous day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So next chapter will be slightly angsty but will have fluff after that I think so don’t let this chapter get to you!! Hope you enjoyed today’s chapter and I will hopefully post again tomorrow! xox- Ez


	8. The truth is revealed and healing begins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi hi! I’m sorry for not posting on Saturday as I promised, however, I wasn’t feeling too well and had a rather messed up sleep schedule. This chapter is mostly fluff and is positive so don’t hate me too much :) Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter! xox- Ez

Today was _definitely not_ the best of days. Shoyo had injured himself on his foot and knee by going all out in that last jump. Here he was now, in the hospital with Tooru-Senpai who had helped him before the medics had arrived. Takeda-Sensei was outside the hospital room, on the phone to his mother who was rushing back from work right this minute. 

Shoyo couldn’t remember much other than the amounts of pain he was in at the time and a few questions from the ambulance crew to see if he was responding well. _He was not_. Pretty sure the medics were scared by his continuous rambling about how he just _loved_ volleyball. That rambling was a result of the medicine he was given to reduce pain according to Oikawa.

He was hooked up to multiple machines right now such as a drip; heat and blood pressure monitor; and a unknown third machine which prevented further damage to his knee. The doctor had come in around five minutes ago and had double checked his bandaged leg where the prosthetic had made a deep cut on the end. She also told him that he would need to take a break from using his prosthetic foot so it wouldn’t reopen the wound. This meant he was going to have to use crutches starting from tomorrow when he would be released.

About two hours later, Shoyo’s mother turned up after driving straight from work early. Shoyo felt bad for worrying his mother but he knew that as long as he followed instructions from the doctors, she wouldn’t need to worry anymore. Sadly, this meant _no more volleyball_ for at least _two weeks._

“Chibi-Chan, I think there a few people outside waiting for you~” sang Tooru-Senpai, next to the doorway. The door opened and the entire team of Karasuno was on the outside all huddled together to try and get in first (everyone stans Tsukishima). Tanaka won and raced to the bed Shoyo was currently wired up to. Eventually everyone else joined beside him and were all wearing scared and fearful expressions.

“How are you feeling, little man? We were all so scared when you fell down after winning the game!” Spoke the bald wing spiker. All of them nodded in agreement to what his upperclassmen said.

“Yeah Hinata, and to find out about your injuries as well! You didn’t think to tell us you had _A METAL FOOT?!?_ ” exclaimed Daichi from the front of the crowd inside the antiseptic-smelling room. Once again, everyone nodded their heads.

“Well I-I was nervous and scared t-that you wouldn’t want m-me on the team if you found out a-about my disability.” Stammered out the nervous ginger, who had now sat up to address everyone in the room.

A variety of emotions crossed all faces- shock, guilt, sadness. It went silent after Shoyo told his team about the reasons for hiding this from them. They all understood how much the baby crow loved volleyball and accepted his reasons as valid ones.

Surprisingly, Kagayema was the first person to cut through the silence. “ _Boke_! You should of told us regardless whether you were scared! We are a team and we need trust to help each other out as well as trusting others to help _yourself_ out. We don’t want you off the team, you’re our greatest decoy who helps everyone score points! We also need to know when you are injured in the future so this sort of thing doesn’t happen again. Understood?” Everyone was wide mouthed after he finished his speech (pep talk?) and Shoyo was almost in tears. Suga began to panic at the sight of tears but the ginger raised his hand in a way which showed he was fine.

“K-Kagayama! T-t-that was s-so sweet of y-you. I didn’t know y-you could be n-nice.” Joked Hinata. A few laughs went around the room and everyone noticed the bright blush the said raven was sporting after that.

“ _Boke_ , Hinata b-boke!”

“This is sweet and all but, Hinata, you still didn’t explain everything to do with you knowing Oikawa or your knee and foot.” Reminded Sugawarwa in a not non-friendly way. This caused everyone to pause as well as Shoyo turning his face towards the opposite side to everyone, in a nervous manner. Luckily, Shoyo wouldn’t have to explain everything on his own as Oikawa cleared his throat to garner everyone’s attention. 

“Ah Chibi-Chan, do you want me to do the talking?” Suggested Tooru-Senpai, who everyone forgot about since Karasuno had barged on in. The small ginger in question was entirely grateful for him wanting to explain how they met.

“Yes please Tooru-Senpai, I still feel a bit tired after everything. Sorry.” Replied Shoyo as an answer and laid back down on the bed. The rest of Karasuno wore a few pitiful and guilty expressions after interrupting their baby crow’s resting time. Said baby crow reassured them with a half-sunny smile. Oikawa began to explain everything starting from how he met Shoyo in the hospital for physio. 

Shoyo and his mother added their own comments from time to time if Oikawa added to many dramatics or if he missed something he wanted his team to know. Eventually, Karasuno were given the entire story and couldn’t quite believe everything they were told- Kagayama especially. He still couldn’t get his head around the idea of his spiker being involved in a serious accident and not telling him. The raven-haired setter wasn’t mad but he was just shocked. Even more so when he found out just how close his former senpai and his current (best) friend were. They were complete opposites really! But, he muses that Hinata can be friends with almost everyone he meets- even someone as shitty as _Oikawa_.

Shoyo thought everyone had taken the news quite well and he wasn’t scared of them abandoning him anymore. However, Tanaka brought up a problem which no one had thought about before.

“Hinata dude, that’s amazing how you can play so well with one leg being injured so badly. However, would the officials of all the volleyball matches and tournaments we play in try and stop you? You know, they might not want you to play in them seeing as you are technically disabled..” Tanaka trailed off at the end when Shoyo wore a face full of panic and realisation. 

When realising what his senpai had said, Shoyo became worried as he had made a valid point. He always knew that he might not be allowed to play and that is why he hid his prosthetic away form everyone. But. _He could always just cover it up again, right? No. He didn’t want to hide this from his opponents even if they would be playing against them. But how could h-_

His thoughts were cut off as Takeda-sensei coughed purposefully to gather the attention of all the panicked students. “Actually, I knew already of Hinata’s injuries and did some research beforehand. The rules do not state anything against having a partially impaired player playing on the main team. So _technically_ speaking, Hinata is stilled allowed to play.” Happy cheers could be heard inside the small room from both patient and visitors. But before they could continue to do so, the teacher still has something to say.

“However,” looks of worry made their way on to some players faces- “you cannot play without having a proper sports prosthetic, which you do fortunately, and cannot play if something happens to your leg which could be dangerous. For example, if there was a small injury which could worsen with the prosthetic on, you would be benched for the rest of the game and potential tournament.” Once again, everyone was worried and negative thoughts made their way inside all the players heads, yet, one crow broke the uncomfortable silence.

“That’s good news then. We just need to make sure Hinata doesn’t do something stupid, _as always,_ so he doesn’t get injured again.” Surprisingly, it was _Tsukishima_ who had told the team this and had looked on the bright side of things. As much as he does hate to admit it out loud, the blond giant does care for his teammates as well as his literal opposite on the team. _`Who could say no to the sunshine boy?!’_ Though Kei incredulously.

“Aw Tsukki, you _do_ care about him!” Cooed Yamaguchi with a smile gracing his freckled face.

“Shut up, Tadashi.” 

“ _Gomen_ Tsukki.”

With everyone having calmed down mostly, Iwaizumi has appeared along with the youngest Hinata. She had fussed over her big brother for so long whilst the team watched with barely contained snickers from the embarrassment shown on the young boys face. With the arrival of a panicked sister, most of the team had left save for Kageyama who planned to keep the bored boy company. Oikawa and Iwaizumi had also stayed and they (notably Iwaizumi) had caught up with the kohai. Tooru-Senpai spent most of the time just pulling faces at the forever-grumpy setter and playing a few games on his phone with Shoyo. 

It had reached the end of visiting hours and Shoyo was now alone with his thoughts inside the pristine room. Today was definitely not a _good_ day but he could still play volleyball after he was healed in two weeks. Not only that, his teammates were so supportive and accepting of him and his prosthetic foot. He would always love Karasuno and they would love him back too. (Even the stoic and grumpy players of the team- though they would never admit their fondness for the boy). Luckily, he would be released tomorrow morning which meant he could go back to school next week. He had heard that some Senpais would be back to play for the team soon and they could get ready and training again for practice and real games for the future. This day was admittedly okay, Shoyo supposed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this guys! We reached over 100 kudos so thank you so much!! I have also decided that I will be posting every Monday, Wednesday and Friday so I can take a break for a bit in between chapters. I also put that this story will be 10 chapters long. This is not definite but will give you a rough understanding how long is left to go. 
> 
> I can’t decide whether I want to skip a bit towards the Shiratorizawa match because that is one of my favourites to read and watch! I know a lot of people enjoy the training camp with Fukurodani as well so leva comments on what I should do! Thank you again and don’t forget to bookmark! xox- Ez


	9. Back to business

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Hey Hey! I’ve finalised how I want this story to end at it will end quite soon. This chapter is different from the rest I think but I hope you guys still like it! Also, I changed the tags so it is clearer now! Hope you enjoy! xox- Ez

It had been around a month or so since Shoyo was released from the hospital after getting injured. Karasuno had welcomed back their “guardian” libero, Noya-Senpai, and the teams third-year ace, Asahi-Senpai. Thanks to Takeda-sensei, they also had an official coach who happened to be the old coach Ukai’s grandson. 

Currently, the team was returning to Tokyo to do a summer training camp after their loss against Aobajohsai. They would be playing against Fukurodani, Shinzen and Ubugawa who they had yet to meet. Another team called Nekoma would also be attending as they had invited the crowd in the first place. Karasuno and Nekoma has already played against each other, however, the ginger spiker hadn’t been allowed to play as he was still in crutches at the time. Shoyo was excited to play with all these powerful teams and learn new things to improve his gameplay. 

Lately, Shoyo has not hidden his prosthetic from other teams, including in the inter high back in Sendai. All teams didn’t take him seriously yet he managed to beat them with his quick attack with Kagayama. After nearly winning against Seijoh though, all negative comments on that topic were hidden away and replaced with awe and fear from him. (Occasionally there would be a mean comment but Karasuno were protective of their little number 10). 

Now here he was, on the bus- _nope_. He was in a compact, old car with the first-year setter and in the hands of Tanaka’s crazy, older sister. She apparently couldn’t read signs with numbers on, therefore resulting in speeding down the twisty hills. To be fair, Tanaka-Senpai had warned them of the dangers however, the first year duo did not take that seriously and guessed he was just doing another one of those pranks with Noya. How wrong were they.

Already at the gym in Tokyo, Karasuno were getting off the bus and greeted by Nekoma. Both captains had a friendly chat with each other whilst the remainder of the teams backed off and into the gym. They were greeted by the sight of a practice game with Shinzen loosing to Ubugawa by 5 points. 

Taking notice of Kuroo talking to the crows, the team of owls introduced themselves to them and began to chat. All three captains and setters were huddled together and talking (mainly the captains and Suga whilst Akaashi and Kenma looked on with disinterest). 

“By the way Daichi, where is your _grumpy_ setter at?” Kuroo questioned when he didn’t see the normally scowling boy in sight. Daichi chuckled slightly after the question.

“Well, Kageyama failed one of his exams so he had to retake it, along with Hinata. All that studying and they still couldn’t do it.” Replied the captain, mumbling out the last sentence. Kenma’s head raised after that and had a look of confusion on his face. Kuroo shared the same look (but for different reasons) and raised an eyebrow at the brown haired spiker.

“Hinata? Is that a new player of yours?” The bed-headed boy questioned after. Bokuto smiles widely at the mention of a new player.

“A new player? We get to teach someone new the ways of the ace!” Exclaimed the easily excitable captain. Akaashi cut in before Karasuno could correct him.

“Actu-“

“No Bokuto, Karasuno already has an ace so you won’t be able to teach him that.”

“Aww. _Akaashiiii_! I like teaching newbies.”

“He isn’t-“

“That’s to bad Bokubro, guess you’ll just have to make do with someone else.” Let out Kuroo, once again cutting off the now-impatient Daichi.

Before Bokuto could retort back at the sly cat, Suga cut in as to avoid making his fellow third year mad. “He isn’t actually new to volleyball! He was just injured when we played against these annoying cats-“

“Hey!-“

“and couldn’t be there to watch the game with the rest of us.” Suga ignored Kuroo’s protest in favour of finishing. Daichi finally relaxed the tension in between his eyebrows and nodded in agreement with his vice-captain.

“Injury? I hope he can still play properly.” Kindly replied Akaashi with his forever-calm face on.

The whistle blew indicating the end of the first practice game. All coaches gathered their respective teams to start conversing with players about strategies and order of playing. Warm ups were done by cats and crows for arriving later than the other teams. After, all five teams took turns playing against each other in 10 minute games before rotating. 

Finally stepping out of that _death machine_ , Shoyo and Kageyama thanked Saeko before darting off towards the big metal doors of the volleyball gym. With a ear-scratching creak, the rusty doors opened and everyone inside turned their heads towards the panting duo in front of the natural light. 

_Silence_.

No one except the murder of crows could believe their eyes. One short ginger was marching to the bench and changing his trainers for volleyball shoes for the practice games about to happen. 

One short ginger with a _metal foot_ no less!

Karasuno filled the silence with casual chatter and teasing of the two played who decided to “ _crash the party fashionably late!”_ , the blonde manager handed them both vests to wear which matched with their team. When ready, the team turned around and took notice of the dropped jaws from everyone else. Before any questions were asked, Hinata jumped up high and jogged over towards one particular person.

“Kenma? Woah it _is_ you! I didn’t know I’d be seeing you here at this camp.” Shouted the baby crow with wife eyes.

“Oh, Shoyo.” Said the pudding head boy fondly, with a slight look of surprise. All the teammates of Nekoma looked on at the scene in more shock that their stoic setter could show such a caring expression towards someone who had the complete opposite personality as him.

“I guess we didn’t tell each other what schools we played for!” Turning away from his lazy friend, Shoyo looked at the team in red and bowed before them.

“Hello Kenma’s teammates! My name is Hinata Shoyo, middle blocker of Karasuno High. I’m looking forward to finally playing you guys!” He ended his introduction with a dazzling smile which struck everyone’s hearts, making them beat rapidly.

_So bright._

Noticing his teammates were too busy gaping at the ginger, Kenma strode forward towards his long-time friend. 

“How are you feeling now, Shoyo?” Asked Kenma with thinly veiled concern. He looked down towards the lower half of his friends calve and glanced to his knee when looking back up to his face.

“Ah! I’m feel a lot better now after resting my leg. I’m just glad to be off those stupid crutches and playing volleyball again.” 

“That’s good news.” Kenma slowly replied.

“Yep!” Shoyo replied just as excitedly as ever.

Kuroo was next to talk to the playful shrimp.

“I didn’t realise your injury was so bad, I’m sorry for your loss.” He said without much thinking.

“My loss of foot?” Questioned Shoyo with a confused and weirded out face.

Realising how _stupid_ that sounded, Kuroo blushes embarrassedly and try to choke out a response.

“I-I mean l-like sorry f-“ before he could continue to embarrass himself further, Shoyo let out a deep laugh startling him to a halt.

“Haha, I’m just messing. I know what you mean! I got over it years ago, after it happened. As long as I get to play volleyball, I would give up my brain!” Happily replied the ginger.

“ _What_ brain?” Snickered Tsukishima from just behind him.

“O-oi! I heard t-that stupidshiwa! I _do_ have a brain.” Shoyo practically screeched our from embarrassment.

“Why are you calling _me_ stupid, _you’re_ the one who had to retake his English exam.” Taunted the blonde giant once again.

_“Hey!”_

The dad of the crow team cut in before things got over heated in their little squabble.

“Hinata, how do you know Nekoma’s setter?” He asked which did indeed pause their fight. Said setter replied for the ginger instead.

“I met Shoyo at Miyagi’s hospital when he fell over using his crutches.” He revealed to the embarrassment of the young blocker.

“ _Kenma_! You didn’t need to tell them _that_.” He muttered whilst looking down to hide the pink rising in his cheeks. Most of the people present chuckled at the obviously pink-cheeked boy who squirmed in place.

“This is fun and all but can we get to playing again?” Asked Coach Ukai, not unkindly. In fact, he was happy to see the ginger being himself with the team, they really needed to raise morale when they had lost so many games.

Everyone straightened and yelled “yes sir!” before running to get in position. When all the teams were in the correct rotation and ready to play, the whistle blew signifying servers to open the game.

  
After a long time of not playing volleyball, Shoyo was once again allowed to play! And he got to see an old friend who he rarely heard from! This next couple of days was going to be so much fun though tiring. He was slightly scared about hurting himself again but he knew that he could always ask for a break if he really need it. He was also able to be confident in showing his prosthetic and his scars on his left knee. His team had reacted well with him bidding it and Kageyama had even boosted his confidence with not hiding it. Shoyo remembers his mother and sister crying happy tears after revealing how he would like to buy shorts for practicing in. Of course, he really should have known that his team wouldn’t care but it was still a big impact on his concerns. But, now here he was, able to have fun with nothing hindering him back. _Shoyo had never felt happier._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don’t forget to bookmark and leave kudos! Leave comments if you’d like as well! xox- Ez


	10. Note

Hello everyone!   
  


I just wanted to write a quick note about why I haven’t updated lately.

so there are multiple reasons but I haven’t updated mainly due to me being ill for the past couple days and having slept irregularly so I couldn’t write. I have also had a few fights with close friends of mine so I’ve been a bit stressed but I am feeling better lately.

I know I said I would update every mon,wed and friday but obviously I haven’t. I’m super sorry for this and will make a chapter for Wednesday this week. I am not giving up on this story but I am planning on finishing it up by the end of August as I have school starting in September and will be too busy to carry this on.

once again, thank you guys for sticking with this and I am sorry for not updating. I hope everyone is well during this pandemic and are staying safe! Love you! xox- Ez 


	11. We can do this!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HiHi! I finally made another chapter! If you skipped the note I left Monday, I explained why I haven’t updated and I’m sorry once again for that! But I’m back with this chapter now so yayay!! This isn’t the best one and it is more like a filler chapter before the big match against the mighty eagles. But I hope you enjoy nonetheless! Leave comments and don’t forget to bookmark! xox- Ez

They won. They had _actually_ won... a-against Seijoh.. they won! They would be playing against Shiratorizawa in the _finals_! Shoyo was amazed and ecstatic about this. Karasuno had beaten the team which stopped them before and would be moving on to finals. Shoyo was able to beat Oikawa- the one who had helped him greatly and trained him to play volleyball just like the Tiny Giant. Hinata would be going forwards with the team which further helped him and carried on letting him play despite his anxiety about what they would think about his prosthetic. 

_Shoyo Hinata couldn’t be happier._

After changing from their sweaty uniform to their clean clothes, Coach Ukai and Takeda-sensei took the team out for celebratory steak dinner down the road from Sendai Gymnasium. The entire team (yes, the managers were definitely part of the team) were crying happy tears and buzzing in the after glow of victory. 

The third years were the ones shedding the most tears but the second years were close behind them. All of them were happy that they could continue playing even if they didn’t make it to nationals. _If._ Not _when_. They all shared the same hope and firm belief that they could defeat the powerhouse school named Shiratorizawa. 

(Even Tsukishima was happy- whether or not he knew it- the team _just knew_ anyways.)

Of course, they knew that tomorrow’s game would be even more intense but they could simmer down and relax for a bit; even if it’s just for a couple of hours. 

When waking up the following morning at sunrise, Shoyo went out his bedroom to have a refreshing shower to fully wake him up- he may be the teams sunshine, but even _he_ couldn’t have that much energy in the mornings. His mother and sister were still asleep so he was carefully walking down the hallway towards the bathroom. He had to constantly lean towards the right to take off as much weights as possible on his prosthetic seeing as it would make so much noise on the wooden floor without shoes on. 

The ginger eventually made it inside the immaculately clean bathroom and hopped into the shower. A quick hair rinse and body scrub (especially on his knee to get the blood around) later, Shoyo got out and swiftly yet gently dried his ginger locks. After that, he made his way out of the door and back to his room to put on his Karasuno uniform. 

Opening the door to his room invited the pleasant smells of his mum’s cooking inside. Seeing as Natsu would have already made her way downstairs at the smallest smell of food, Shōyō no longer needed to be quiet and all but rushed downstairs as well to eat his own breakfast before racing down the sun-kissed hills to school.

With tying his bike to a holder with the given lock and chain, Shoyo briskly walked to the bus waiting near the gym’s doors. He could see that his entire team had managed it beat him there which meant that he had also lost to Kageyama again on being the first one at school before the other. Grumpily making his way to the seat near said setter, Shoyo sat down and started bickering with his partner. Everyone was used to the early morning fights and all sighed exasperatedly together. 

(Used to the fights, yes, but still not _fond_ of them.)

About fifteen minutes into the familiar journey, Shoyo received a text message from a close friend of his.

**Koji: Hey Sho-chan! Good luck today with the big match against Shiratorizawa! Me and Izumi will be there to cheer you guys on so look up towards the crowds, okay? We know you can do it!** (07:42)

**Shoyo: Koji!!!! thank you!!! I know we can do it as well so be prepared to see us win today!! should I wave to you guys when I walk in?? wave back if I do! (/^~^)/** (07:44)

**Koji: We will wave too Sho-chan! <(^•^)>** (07:45)

The bus pulled up towards the stadium at around 8:30 so the boys would have enough time to get changed and warmed up for the game at 11. 

Once everyone gathered their belongings, the crows made their way into the changing rooms. All of them wore serious expressions to hide their nervousness from the few audience members already walking in. _Everyone apart from the two most excitable members on the team._ One Hinata Shoyo and one Nishinoya Yuu. No one could calm _them_ down.

“Woahhh! Look at the size of the doors! They’re _sooooo_ big.”

“I know, Shoyo! We get to play in centre court this time. That means we have a double door entrance for us powerful players!”

“Oooh, Noya-Senpai! Look over there as well. They have stands to buy flashy signs!! How cool is that!”

Both of the small players rambled on about how different the centre court area was compared to the previous gyms they played in before. Kageyama was wearing an angry scowl towards the ginger player and was ready to drag him near him so he doesn’t wonder off like an excited child. Asahi was also trying to calm the libero down so the onlookers didn’t start talking about the team more than they already were.

Seeing his teammates messing around and bound to get hurt, Suga (the teams self-appointed mother) held onto them by the shoulders and kept them in check. He was worried that Hinata would injure his knee or foot again and they definitely could _not_ afford that to happen with such and important match coming up. He was also worried about stressing out Asahi so he calmed down the teams defensive specialist as to not worry the third year anymore.

_(Everyone else sweat dropped at seeing them like that on such an important day.)_

Once everyone was in proper uniform, Coach Ukai led them to an area where they could discuss their positioning and strategies once again before warming up. Knowing this team, most of them would have paid no attention on the bus before. Their starting rotation meant Hinata wouldn’t be playing straight away so Noya could get used to Ushiwaka’s killer serves before he was moved out. Tsukishima stayed in so that when ( _not if_ ) Noya did get it up, he would be able to block Shiratorizawa from scoring if ( _not when_ ) they got the ball. It was a risk to leave their main line of attack out for the first rotation, but they still had their ace and two wing spiker son the court. Kageyama would start off setting as normal but could be subbed out for Sugawara if needed. Yamaguchi had also nearly perfected his serve so it could be used when they most needed it.

After going over the game plan, the boys had thirty minutes before they could use the court to warm up. Most spent this time on their phones messaging family members who were also coming to watch. Unfortunately, Natsu had school and Mum was too busy at work to come watch Shoyo play live so he messaged his friends. Izumi and Koji had already arrived and were in the lobby near the doors. Hinata asked coach if he could go say hi before warming up and he allowed only if Kageyama would go with him to make sure he comes back in time. With reluctance, both boys made their way to the main entrance. 

Koji was the one to first see the ginger hair in the crowd and made his was with Izumi towards him. Once seeing the pair, Shoyo ran towards them and gathered them into a big hug. No one could resist a Shoyo hug seeing as he gave the best ones out there.

Only when pulling apart did both of his childhood friends notice the tall raven haired boy standing behind the sunshine child. Koji recognised the setter almost instantaneously and looked on with wide eyes.

“H-hey it’s you! The guy from Kitagawa. I didn’t know _this_ was the boy who was setting for you, Sho-chan!” Questioned the brown haired boy, turning to the ginger for answers.

Shoyo just shrugged his shoulders and had a look of indifference as if it wasn’t a big deal. (Honestly, it wasn’t anymore seeing as he was used to his sworn rival being on the same team as him.)

“Oh, I must have not mentioned it.” Said the small middle blocker with a shrug again.

Both Izumi and Koji looked to each other before laughing slightly at how _“Sho-chan hasn’t changed a bit”._ Kageyama was a bit confused and wore a constipated look on his face at the social interaction happening in front of him.

After catching up and a series of “ _good luck”_ s later, the super quick duo made their way back to the gym ready to show just how terrifying a murder of crows could be to the all-mighty eagles. Shoyo would prove to them he could fly even with this prosthetic and bad knee, no matter how tall of a wall stood in front of him. 

  
He had his teams support behind him and could rely on them where he had his shortcomings. Even the ever-grumpy Tsukishima and forever scowling Kageyama. This team would make it to nationals and show everyone that they didn’t beat Seijoh out of luck like Ushiwaka had told him. He- _no-_ we could do this!


	12. Determined!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HiHi~ I forgot to upload this chapter this morning so it’s a bit late :/ this chapter is written differently from others I think but I like it so I hope you guys do too! Next Friday I won’t be uploading because I’m going on a camping trip with my family so no wifi!! I might post Thursday or I might not depending on how I feel! I hope you enjoy so don’t forget to leave kudos and bookmark it for the future! xox- Ez

It was time. In less than fifteen minutes they would be playing in the finals against Shiratroizawa, the _number one_ boys volleyball team in the _prefecture_. Everyone on Karasuno were filled with excitement, nervousness and determination. One player in particular was looking forward to beating the almighty team and making his way to nationals. 

Shoyo had a few reasons to feel this way: the next stage was _nationals_ people (of course he would feel excited!); showing Tooru-Senpai and Hajime-Senpai that there was a reason they had lost to Karasuno; and, proving Ushijima Wakatoshi wrong. Once again, proving to the countries ace that Shoyo was good at volleyball had a lot of reasons to do so. Mainly though, it was because of their encounter before that the ginger wanted to do this. 

Ushiwaka is a powerful player and is well known for that, and with the skills to back him up, of course he was confident. However, what he had said to the small player was beyond that- it was _arrogance_. He had no right to call Shoyo “a waste of his time” and that he “brought shame to volleyball”! How could he say that if he hasn’t seen him play before? Jump before? His passion for the game?! There was no way that he could say that to someone who had dedicated the last few years to play.

So yes, there was _definitely_ a good reason to prove him wrong and show just how well of a player he could be.

The room was filled with spectators who were looking forward to seeing the finals of the national qualifiers. Taking up about half of the left bleachers, Shiratroizawa’s band were playing and the other half was of supporting students, cheering on their respective team. Opposite to them stood the Karasuno supporters and genera public. The vice principal was starting to do a chant with the students and friends of the school. Yachi, Saeko, Izumi, Koji and the local volleyball team stood there as well shouting out words of encouragement.

Karasuno’s team walked up with their trolleys of volleyballs and were doing basic warm ups. When their opponents cleared the court to make room for Karasuno to do a small practice, Ukai told Kageyama and Hinata to show them their super quick attack. Once ready, Shoyo threw the ball up and towards Kageyama. Said setter got into position and made contact with his fingers. Hinata had already began to run and leaped up into the air. As always, Kageyama set the ball perfectly and Shoyo in turn, smacked it down with pure power. It landed with a _thump_ which silenced everyone for a brief moment.

“What the hell was that?!” Squawked out the tall redhead dressed in purple and white. “That little guy just smashed it down in the middle!” The few players near his side also replied with their own comments.

“You’re right! Did you see how high he jumped up? It was as if he was flying!” 

“Not to mention he has a freaking metal prosthetic foot!? I didn’t know someone of his size could jump so high with an injury like that!”

“And their setter, he was so quick at setting it up for him and it was scarily accurate.” Grumbled out a short boy who had mousey-blonde hair in the bowl cut style. 

“I think you’re forgetting how fast the ginger can run, he’s going to be such a _pain_ with my guess blocking.” The redhead let out a sigh of frustration whilst fisting his hair.

“Hinata Shoyo. I guess you can play.” Said the forever stoic ace to no one in particular. However, almost all of his teammates heard and stared at him with wide eyes and slack jaws.

“You know that shortie, Wakatoshi~?” Sang Tendou towards his friend when no one else had recovered from the shock of their captain complimenting another player. Said captain was drinking his water bottle before turning to the middle blocker by his side.

“Yes. I met him on the street one time. He told me he played volleyball and I couldn’t believe that so I told him what I thought.” He replied with a straight face. Everyone sweat dropped hearing this as they all know he can be blunt whenever he wants to be. Tendou hummed with a small smile on his face when seeing the slight look of disbelief in his eyes.

“Welp! I guess he _is_ going to prove you wrong, miracle boyyy~” 

“No. I still don’t believe he can beat our team. He lacks height which is essential to playing volleyball.” 

When Shoyo landed, the crowd around him began to whisper about rumours they had all heard about him.

“I didn’t think it was true when they said Aobajohsai lost to a no-name school!”

“Is he really playing without his left foot?!”

“I guess they aren’t the wingless crows anymore.”

Shoyo didn’t mind the rumours as long as they weren’t said straight to his face by someone from another team. He hated it when fellow players couldn’t believe in him actually playing volleyball. It was the worst when that happened. Was it really so hard for someone his height to play? Or was it because of his injuries that they insulted him? Oh well. He has his teammates to back him up and help him prove others wrong.

The team carried on warming up without a fuss and prepared themselves for the intense game about to begin. Coach Ukai and Kiyoko were talking to each other and Takeda-sensei was checking on the paperwork to be handed to the school afterwards. 

The audience continued to talk amongst themselves about the players and who they thought would be going to nationals. The speakers turned on and began listing off the teams players (both starting lineup and players in the bench) for the game. One by one, Karasuno ran up to their coaches on the bench and gave them high fives when announced. Shoyo ran up and gave a big smile to his friends up in the stands with a little wave as promised. He saw the small coach on Shiratroizawa’s bench glaring at him from the corner of his eyes but just shrugged it off as being an intimidation tactic. 

The Shiratorizawa team ran on as well and got ready in to position for the first match. He saw the coach was still looking at him and so was Ushiwaka from his position across the net. Although he wouldn’t admit it, Shoyo was a bit nervous about it and looked to his vice captain for any sort of reassurance. Almost reading his mind, Suga gave him a small thumbs up and an encouraging smile. Returning the smile, Shoyo turned around to stare back at his opponents with eyes that normally scared other players. He did get a reaction out of the wide-eyed middle blocker in front of Tsukishima who smiled at him with a toothy grin. He was slightly creepy but Hinata’s were never one to judge- after all, they were always looked down by others for their short height and wild hair colour.

The whistle blew for Asahi to serve to start the game. He knew that he was going to be playing soon but he still couldn’t stop bouncing up and down with nerves from not playing right away. Shoyo loves volleyball more than anything which is a well known fact to everyone. He was also determined to stay on court and beat Ushiwaka in the game. 

The ball was received by the libero and passed towards the blonde ball cut setter (Shirabu, you learned their names already Shoyo!) who set the ball to Ushijima. He smashed through Tsukishima and it landed on the court floor with a _thwump!_ Noya had dived for it but he had just missed.

“Sorry I’ll get it next time!”

“Don’t mind!” Replied the team.

The only first year boy was up to serve and aimed it to Daichi. Daichi was able to get it up clean and passed it to Kageyama. He set the ball to Tanaka-Senpai on the left and he hit a straight along the courts line. _In_.

“ _Yosha_!” The team patted him on the back quickly and got into position again. It was now Kageyama’s serve and he waited till the whistle blew. He aimed in between Ohira and Ushijima so he could mess up their formation. It worked but the ball was still tossed to their setter. Shirabu set it to the middle wear Tendou was and he hit it straight down. Noya was able to dig it up for Kageyama and they got into position for a synchronised attack. The blockers were waiting for the ball but Tendou had managed to guess correctly and blocked Asahi’s back row attack, earning Shiratroizawa the point.

(Shiratroizawa:2-1)

Shoyo was watching with rapt attention and excitement. He knew this team was going to be tough to beat but he was still amazed at just how well they were doing. Though amazed, he was still determined to win against them with this team. He had seen his friends giving him waves and heard the Karasuno cheers for when we scored points. Not only that, he had felt the stares of the small coach again from time to time. He was beginning to wonder why he was only looking at him and not the players currently playing for Karasuno. Oh well. It didn’t matter because he would just have to put on a show for him and ignore the stares. Shoyo was looking forward to doing just that!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I also wanted to thank everyone who left kudos already as we have reached over 150 already! Also I have written over 15,000 words last chapter but forgot to say! I’m proud that I have fans who like this story and keep me motivated to write again! So a big thank youuuu (/^•^)/


	13. An unlucky boy no more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! We have finally made it to the final chapter of this story! I enjoyed making this chapter and took quite a while to write it. A lot goes on in this one and I hope you guys do enjoy it! xox- Ez

Set 3: (Shiratroizawa-1:0)

Karasuno had won the second set after losing the first to Shiratorizawa. Shoyo had been subbed in on the second half of the second set so he could even out the scores- which he managed to do. 

Ushijima had just scored a service ace seeing as Noya wasn’t on the court in this rotation. Daichi had tried to dig it up but it ricocheted off of his arms and out the court. Shoyo was sort of terrified of those deadly served but he was never giving Ushijima the satisfaction of that, _hell no_. 

It was his serve again and Daichi managed to get it up this time, straight to Kageyama. Shoyo called for the ball and began his run. His leg and knee had never felt better and he was confident in getting the point. Kageyama’s eyes widened slightly as Hinata was running even faster than before. He tossed the ball (perfect as always) to Hinata who jumped high. Shoyo saw a patch of light shine on the other side of the court and smacked the ball down. Straight past the blockers. _Thwack!_

The whistle was blown and Karasuno evened the playing field.

“Nice kill Hinata!” Screamed everyone in the club and the supporters for them. Shoyo pumped up his fist and responded with a” _Yosha_!”. The blockers on the other side scowled at not keeping up with the tiny red. 

Tendou scowled at not catching the tiny crow in time. He knew he was fast in the last set but he had managed to go even faster- _if that was even possible?!_ The blocker saw that his captain was also frowning at the ginger who had scored. Ushiwaka was always calm and blunt but it seems he was annoyed. Tendou didn’t know if he was annoyed at said ginger; the team at not stopping him; or Ushiwaka himself. 

He knew that captain had met Hinata on the street and didn’t exactly believe that he could play volleyball with his height or his prosthetic. He also knew that there were a lot of rumours going around about a player with a prosthetic- he just didn’t know that they would be this tough to play against. _He should have known._ The _irony_ that a small child-like player who was missing a foot, would be the one to put up a fight against the powerhouse school. 

Tendou could see a slight shimmer in Wakatoshi’s eyes that he couldn’t quite put a definite emotion too. Was it excitement? Joy? Interest? Or was it respect... 

_  
It was all of those feelings._

The third set carried on and Shiratroizawa was in the lead at match point _(24:22)_. The crowd was buzzing with excitement and attention so much that there was a constant electric current making its way through everyone on court. Both teams were just as excited as the audience and felt a boost of energy inside them. It was almost comforting.

_Bang!_

_Shit_.

Shoyo had been paying so much attention to the game but he had so much energy that he overshot his spike. It had landed well out of bounds across the court. He _knew_ he wouldn’t hear the end of that from Kageyama.

As if sensing his thoughts, Kageyama stomped up to him with fire in his eyes. Shoyo tried to step back a bit but the raven haired boy had already grabbed ahold of his shoulders and began to shake them.

“ _Boke! Hinata Boke!_ How could you spike so far?! There wasn’t even anyone there to block you!” By now the end of the set had been called and it was there time out. Both teams began walking off but most of the players kept glancing to the first year pair with a mix of amusement and wariness in their eyes.

“A-Ah sorry k-Kageyama I was just super-r excited! I had so much energy in me that I kind of let it all out by accident. I promise we’ll win the next set so don’t worry.” Stuttered out the ginger in way of an apology. He knew that Kageyama would never live this down but he needed the setter to be calm enough that he could still toss to Shoyo.

“I know we’ll win the next set but try and reserve your energy, stupid.” Kageyama had not stopped shaking the poor crow and everyone had turned around. Well, Daichi was still looking so Kageyama didn’t kill Hinata right there.

Daichi walked up to the duo with a small smile and placed both his hands on the boys. “Come in guys, we need to discuss what to do next with coach. Have a drink and cool down for a bit. And Hinata, make sure to keep applying the ointment to your knee and foot. We need you to be able to play in the next sets.” Daichi guided the rowdy players towards the bench and into the hurdle of players. He let go of their shoulders and stood by Suga.

The next set had been pretty intense but the crows had managed to snag it anyway with a setter dump as their last point. It had gone into the late twenties with a final score of 29:27. They would be playing in the final set to determine the winner and representative for the high school nationals. 

The whistle blew and Yamaguchi got ready to serve. With a quick breath to focus, he hit the ball over the net hoping to catch the players off guard. He did in fact surprise them with his jump float serve and scored them three consecutive points. A time out was called from Shiratorizawa hoping to stop the momentum for Karasuno. 

When doing his fourth serve, the libero (Yamagata) received it perfectly and threw it up to their setter. Shirabu tossed to the centre where Goshiki now was and he hit it across the court. Noya cleanly received it and it flew back to Kageyama. It went up to the left for Asahi to hit over. Two blockers were already there but he blew them away. The ball landed just in front of Ohira and bounced out left.

Cheers erupted in the stands and the team slapped him on the back in way of congrats. It was once again Yamaguchi’s time to serve but it hit the net on their own side of the court and he subbed back out for Tsukishima. The blonde got into position and prepared to play.

With the score at 14:13 to Shiratroizawa, Hinata was up front again and stood in front of Tendou. The redhead was looking at him with a glint in his eyes which Shoyo was a bit wary of. He was right to be wary as Tendou began to talk to him.

“So Chibi-Chan, how come you play middle blocker? I know you have a great jump and all but wouldn’t it be better to have someone with more height anyway?” Completely ignoring the question, Shoyo turned to the blocker in front of him and narrowed his eyes.

“Don’t call me that.”

Tendou raised an eyebrow and narrowed his eyes at being ignored. “Chibi-Chan? Why not?” Shoyo let out an annoyed sigh and continued to talk to the giant in front of him.

“Because it’s what Tooru-Senpai calls me! I only let him say that.” Out of the corner of his eye, Shoyo saw Ushijima slightly raise an eyebrow and turned his attention to him. He knew that they were in the middle of a game and he was trying to wind him up.

“Tooru-Senpai? You don’t happen to mean Oikawa from Aobajohsai do you?” The lanky teen questioned once again. The ball came towards Asahi again and he spiked it back down toward the back. They were tied back up again.

“Yeah, Oikawa and I have known each other for almost three years. Why do you care?” Replied the ginger in a not unkind way. He was a bit interested to know why the blocker in front of him was asking him about another good volleyball player.

Tendou just hummed in way of reply, completely ignoring the gingers question like he had done previously. The game carried on and Tanaka had scored a point with a cross shot. They were now winning with match point as the last set went up to 15 and not 25. It was Tanaka’s time to serve again and he waited for the whistle.

“How did you meet such a great player when you weren’t in high school yet?” Asked the teen. Shoyo was a bit hesitant to tell him as it was also personal information to Oikawa about his knee. If he didn’t mind telling, then Shoyo wouldn’t of hesitated seeing as he didn’t mind people knowing about his foot anymore. The boy in front was tilting his head curiously and had his hands up with his fingers spread wide. He seemed to have figured something out.

“Oo~ does it have to do with your injuries.” It wasn’t spoken like a question but rather a statement. He clearly knew he was right but he was just messing with the crow. Shoyo gritted his teeth at the words said and gruffly nodded his head. Tendou seemed to like his reaction and smiled creepily in response.

“Ah so I _was_ right! How come you don’t like to talk about it? Does it bring up bad memories?” He said with another mischievous glint in his eyes.

“No, it’s just personal to me and Tooru. We met after my accident whilst in the hospital. The rest is none of your business.” He replied with short answers and a bit of annoyed tone. He just didn’t want to discuss this in a game his team was about to win.

Tanaka-Senpai served the ball over but Yamagata was once again able to receive it for Shirabu. As predicted, he tossed it to Ushiwaka who jumped up high for the ball. Shoyo and Tsukishima were both there to block the cross so Noya could receive the straight. Just as planned, Noya got it up but it was slightly short. 

“Sorry co-“

“I got it! Hinata!” Kageyama’s voice was loud and clear. Shoyo ran up ready for the ball. Kageyama was able to get under the ball anyway and sent it up to Shoyo. Said boy was looking directly ahead but Tendou was there to block it. Before it could hit the ground, Hinata’s wrist went out and hit it back up for Kageyama to toss. Hinata landed slightly off and his knee was hurting a bit but he didn’t have time to fuss over it. He ran to the end of the court to get his run up. Sprinting to the net, Shoyo yelled for the ball.

“Kageyama! Pass it to me!” 

“He’s going for a quick _now_?!” He heard Tendou exclaim in a panic.

“Stop him!”

“Go Hinata!”

“Hinata!” Kageyama did his quickest toss to the flying boy who was prepared for the ball. He could see a ray of light again in between Ushiwaka and their setter. He slammed it down right there. In slow motion, he watched Yamagata dive for it as well as Shirabu.

Go on!

Just land.

_Thump!_

It was _in_!

Silence... then

_“Hinata! OMG!”_

“Well done Shoyo!” 

The team ran up to their baby crow with tears in their eyes. They had won. _Against Shiratroizawa. Won!_

“ _Yoshaa_!” He jumped up to his friends who pulled him into a team hug. The third years were hugging each other and had streams of tears pouring down their face. Coach and Takeda-sensei were throwing their hands up and heads back in happiness. The crowd was screaming in cheers for Karasuno and _\- was the principle waving his wig in victory?!_

On the other side of the net stood players who wore looks of disbelief and sadness. Some were crying and some were open-mouthed. No one though they would lose. Their school band was silent from shock as well and were still. 

Kageyama had a huge smile on which was not forced this time. He looked genuinely happy at their win and their ticket to nationals. _Oh right._ Nationals. _Nationals_..

The referee got captains to shake hands and Oder their players in a line to shake hands as well. Once everyone had done so, Shoyo was just about to walk off court when he heard his name heard.

“Shoyo Hinata.”

He turned to where he heard the voice and was surprised to see that Ushijima was the one who had spoken. He didn’t think he wanted to speak to someone who had beaten him. 

“Yes?” Was his reply, he had tried to keep his nerves out of his voice but he didn’t think he had quite accomplished that. 

Ushijima held out his hand toward him in a way they had all done just a minute ago. 

“I wanted to congratulate you once again on your victory. And I also wanted to apologise.” Before Hinata could even ask why, the tall player in front of him beat him too it.

“I hadn’t taken you seriously when you told me about playing volleyball. I definitely underestimated your abilities and insulted you when we first met. For that I am sorry.” He bowed down to him. Bowed down! Shoyo noticed that some people were looking at him in shock so he decided to quickly move this along.

“Ah-h it’s fine really! To be honest, I was a _bit_ upset but I like to prove people wrong when they doubt me. A lot of people do because of this.” He pointed to his left leg and scratched his neck out of nervousness. Ushijima was about to bow again but the ginger quickly put his hands on him to stop him from doing so.

“No! You don’t have to bow to me! I wasn’t to bothered by it so don’t worry! I just hope that we can play again some time. Maybe even on the same team? Anyway, thank you for such a good game.” He quickly bowed in return and rose to see Ushijima with wide eyes. (He looked totally different when showing his emotions!)

“Oh. Of course, thank you as well. I was wondering where you learnt to play as well.” He had shuffled closer to him again and had a straight face on once again.

“Oh! I learnt in the hospital actually! Oikawa was the one to teach me as he was there too. I wanted to play after seeing it on tv just before my accident.” Ushijima blinked at his reply and let a small smile grace his face.

“Oh yes. Oikawa is a great player and I respect him for his skills. I wish he would join Shiratroizawa’s team. But I don’t think he will. I ask him a lot and he is very stubborn.”

Shoyo let his head fall back and let out a hearty laugh. “Tooru is like that! But I admire him for it as well. After all it took a while for me to be able to play- almost a year for me to get down basics.” 

“I admire that about you as well. Hinata, I think you deserve to play volleyball in nationals. You are a great player. I do hope to play with you in the future as well.” Shoyo blinked at this and let a sunshine smile cover his face.

“Me too, Ushijima!”

“Good luck at nationals, I’ll be watching.”

“We’ll do our best so don’t worry.” Ushijima chuckled at his charisma and turned around to the exit. Shoyo did the same and made his way to the bus. He needed to sit down.

Hinata Shoyo was an unlucky boy who had his left foot taken from him during middle school. He was unable to walk normally afterwards and faced many walls in his journey to playing volleyball in Karasuno. He went through thick and thin to be granted both good and bad memories. On the way, he met loads of friends and played lots of opponents who had similar dreams to him. He may have been unlucky but he was certainly lucky to be where he was today. With his teammates who were also his closest friends, his supportive family who always had his back, childhood friends who would never leave him, and he had his rivals who pushed him to his limits. Hinata Shoyo was a very lucky boy who could fly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HiHi! I just wanted to say a massive thank you to everyone who carried on till the end! I wanted to end this sooner rather than later and pushed on to wrap it up. I’m sorry if I made Tendou out as a jerk but I promise I love him so much 💞 I really hope you guys have enjoyed this story and this chapter. I may continue writing other stories but I do start school in September and I am busy the next few weeks anyway. Once again thank you for the love and support for this story. I wish you guys the best in this time! xox- Ez


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